


Somewhere Between

by worksofheart



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Haruno Sakura-centric, SasuSaku - Freeform, Slow Burn, Uchiha Sasuke Being an Asshole, Uchiha Sasuke Has Issues, hospital drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-12 16:50:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20567660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/worksofheart/pseuds/worksofheart
Summary: Dr. Sakura Haruno is an award winning pediatric heart surgeon. Dr. Sasuke Uchiha is hired as the new cardiac intensive care attending. Much to Sakura’s dismay, their differences must be put aside in order to provide the best care to Konoha’s tiny patients. 4 years after dropping out of Sakura’s world without a trace, Sasuke has to re-learn the woman he thought he once knew.





	1. Imported

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing something! I’ve had this idea for quite a bit. Any & all tips are welcomed. Not sure how many chapters it’ll end up being, but I wanted to throw what I have out there to see if there would be any interest. Thanks for reading 🥰

“That’s enough, no more CPR.” Sakura knew her team didn’t miss the way her voice wavered as she watched the infant take its last breath on the operating room table.

“Yes, Dr. Haruno. Stopping compressions,” the nurse repeated back.

Quietly, Sakura removed her sterile gloves and surgical mask. She turned to face the room full of nurses and doctors. “Time of death: 1945.”

_________________________________

  
Heavy silence hung in the humid August air as Sakura went to unlock her front door.

“Oh, for the love of Christ,” she grumbled as her key jammed the door. Yearning for the bottle of Pinot noir that sat on the other side of her godforsaken entrance, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Her right foot raised to meet the door for leverage. Both hands latched onto the key securely, ready to pull. Sakura briefly caught movement out of her periphery before she saw a large, pale hand envelope her doorknob. Her heart paused, breath temporarily ceasing to flow.

“Breaking into your own apartment is not a good look. Move over, Sakura,” came the voice.

She would recognize that voice anywhere. Sakura exhaled sharply as her heart picked up a new sort of beat entirely. The figure cloaked in black towered over her small frame. Against her better judgment, she peered over her shoulder. Dark eyes caught her own and she found herself unable to look away. Sasuke was as breathtaking as ever. Her heart raced. The only man she was ever capable of loving stood mere inches away. And Sakura was sure of one thing: she absolutely, positively loathed him.

Sasuke nimbly maneuvered the key and handle before letting the old door swing open. He underhanded the key ring to Sakura with a smirk plastered on his annoyingly handsome face.

Sakura didn’t fight the urge to roll her eyes. “I didn’t need your help, Sasuke.” She made a beeline for the corkscrew.

“It seemed to me like you were struggling. Someone would have noticed,” he retorted.

Sakura bit back, “not everybody is as unsettlingly observant as you are.”

In three swift steps, he was in front of her. Sasuke felt the air leave his lungs when her unique eyes locked onto his. Shaken by his moment of lost composure, an idea popped into his head. Sasuke was not above playing games. He lifted her chin with his forefinger, using his thumb to brush over her lower lip.

“You’re…unsettled by me? That’s hardly the word I would use to describe you right now, Sakura.” She glowered at him from below.

“You don’t get to do this,” she cried, tearing his arm away by his wrist. His porcelain hands settled on either side of her, a stark contrast to her dark granite countertops. “I pined after you for years. Through undergrad, med school…I would have done just about anything for you. Hell, I did everything for you to see me as more than a fuck. You never said so much as goodbye before fucking off to the other side of the country for your residency. I’m not going to be your convenience this time. That’s not how this works. I’ve spent too long breaking my own heart over what might have been,” she spit. Sasuke was silent.

“Are you…have you been reading Kurt Vonnegut?” he deadpanned. Sakura broke free of his hold and poured well over one glass of red wine into a water cup.

“Unless you plan on serving me a hearty apology, you can leave now.” The pink-haired surgeon downed her glass of wine and snatched the bottle from the counter.

Sasuke bemusedly watched her chug from the bottle for a solid six seconds before making her way to the living room. She curled up in the corner of her sectional, still armed with her bottle of liquid courage. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Sakura turned to face the television. Sasuke’s gaze remained glued to her.

“You seemed to have forgotten where the door is,” she quipped, flicking through the channels.

Feeling his heart drop, he turned and made his way back to the foyer. Sasuke didn’t know what to say to make any of this better. He figured silence was best at this point. The door handle turned, yet he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

In a moment of rare spontaneity, he spoke without thinking. “I just thought…you’d want to know that I’m Konoha Children’s new cardiac intensive care doctor. See you at work tomorrow, Dr. Haruno.” Sasuke exited Sakura’s townhome, bitter lemon flavor lacing his tongue. He heard glass shattering from inside. Smirking, he made his way home.

_________________________________

  
“Goddamnit, where are my paper towels,” Sakura mused out loud. Her precious Pinot noir sat in a raspberry-colored puddle on her wood floor. Sakura methodically wiped away the wine; then swept the glass before doing a thorough cleanse. She figured it was probably time for bed, anyhow. Two OR cases for her tomorrow. One 2 week old, and a 3 year old. She might not even have to see Sasuke. Maybe she’d be home in time for _Bachelor in Paradise_. With no game plan in place for a potential encounter with her former lover/current asshole, she got changed into her pink silk camisole & shorts set. Sakura went through the motions of her bedtime routine to some soft R&B. Just as she finished rubbing vitamin C&E oil on her face, her phone pinged. She lazily danced over, tapping the screen to double check it wasn’t a work-related message.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she mumbled, reading _iMessage: Uchiha Sasuke_ across the lock screen. Her thumb swiped faster than she ever cared to admit. _Close your blinds, you never know what’s lurking out at night —S._

Frustration bubbled over her chest. Sakura certainly didn’t need anybody looking after her. Not now, not ever. Letting her blinds down with a loud _thwack_, Sakura flopped over in bed face-down. She set her alarm clock for 0400 and placed her pager on the pillow beside her. Sakura did not want to think about what the morning entailed.


	2. It’s not u it’s me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke acts like a dick. Sakura has more important things on her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I might be able to provide a more complete feel for the story with this next chapter! I feel like the last chapter had some loose ends. Hopefully this helps tie those bad boys up. Looking for a beta so my chapters read like a hot knife through butter!!

Morning hit Sakura like a ton of bricks as she blindly searched for the off button on her alarm clock. She dragged herself out of bed at a snail’s pace and trudged to the bathroom. Throwing her hair into a messy topknot, she hurriedly swiped on some mascara and brushed her teeth. Going to work was usually not such a chore for the bright-eyed surgeon. But try as she might, Sakura could not forget the man who stood before her a mere five hours ago.

She haphazardly threw on her favorite pair of light blue scrubs and tossed a K-cup into her machine. Grabbing her bag and shoes, she made her way out within seconds of the coffee filling her cup. Her BMW purred to life and she punched the accelerator.

Sakura’s thoughts began to wander when she reached the interstate. Looking back on her complex relationship with Sasuke only stirred up secondhand embarrassment within her. Sakura would never make herself vulnerable like she did back then. In undergrad, Sakura desperately held onto the notion that he was just emotionally stunted. He emanated just enough magnetism to maintain her attention, but never more than that. Sasuke’s social ineptitude and ungrateful nature were rationalized in her brain as products of his secretive upbringing. She was a fixer, after all. Sakura spent many thankless hours on Sasuke, a man who really didn’t need fixing whatsoever.

Medical school was a different ball game. Sakura was sick of sitting on the outskirts of Sasuke’s life. So, after one particular tequila-fueled gathering, she offered him something she knew he wouldn’t turn down. Thus began their compromise: Sasuke would ignore Sakura as often as possible, and fuck her on the weekends. Sakura was more than happy to oblige.

As their little arrangement racked up years, Sasuke slowly opened up to her. He revealed that he was the sole survivor of a tragedy that left him with no relatives or family. He spoke of his mother, father, and brother after the lights went out. Sakura could recite his favorite childhood memories backwards and upside-down. But each time, without fail, Sakura woke up to his side of the bed impeccably cornered and tucked.

Graduation day marked the last time Sasuke spoke to her. Everybody in their graduating class was paired with a hospital to complete their residency in their chosen field. Sakura was thrilled to find she matched with her first choice. Sasuke’s assignment would take him hundreds of miles from Sakura. The man on her mind was gone before Sakura had a chance to exit the auditorium. She reached out to him on several occasions over the months following the ceremony without success. With a new fire beneath her, she refocused her energy into becoming the best in her field.

A blaring car horn snapped Sakura back to reality. She looked up to see a red stoplight, prompting her to stomp the brakes. A blue truck flew under the green light perpendicular to Sakura. The woman in her Beemer was never before so thankful for the sound of a horn at 0430 am. A whole 6 hours have gone by since Sasuke infiltrated her life, and she’s already endangered her physical well-being. His presence quickly cut through an equilibrium that Sakura spent 4 years perfecting. “That motherfucker,” she uttered into her coffee tumbler.

Sakura lazily swung into the employee parking garage, pulling into a spot and turning off the ignition in one fell swoop. She locked her car and went to open the door to the stairwell when a large hand beat her to it. Sakura knew immediately whose it was, having memorized those scars and imperfections long ago.

“I’m proficient in opening doors for myself, Uchiha.”

“That’s not what it looked like last night.”

“Didn’t I ask you to leave me alone? Are you incapable of following directions?”

“Seems like you were incapable of following traffic laws this morning. Call it even.”

Sakura’s mouth hung agape. Sasuke began to ascend the stairs, looking back at her with a shit-eating grin. She took a gulp of her black coffee before exiting the stairwell in exchange for the elevator. Sakura did not need these vibes before her tiny VSD repair. A 2-week-old’s heart, no bigger than a quarter, was ready for her to fix. Nothing mattered more to Sakura in that moment than a perfect Gortex patch closure.

_________________________________

Two and a half hours later, Sakura stripped herself of the sterile gown and gloves. She bolted for her coffee and found a cozy nook to write her intra-operative and immediate post-operative notes in the chart. Normally, Sakura loved to put these off. But Sasuke Uchiha, who was not normal, sat just beyond the automatic double doors labeled “PCICU.” Suddenly, the pager on her waistband buzzed off, interrupting her train of thought. _Bed 204 activating arrest team_ scrolled across the tiny screen. She took off running. In 204 was the infant she just fixed.

Upon arrival, Sakura’s eyes were everywhere at once. Arterial pressures were dropping. Sasuke sat at the head of the crib, looking cool and collected. He crossed his arms and met Sakura’s gaze.

“Dr. Haruno. I suspect you knicked his pulmonary artery. Cell saver is running wide open, we’ve given 20mL per kilogram of albumin and 15mL per kilo of packed red blood cells. Epinephrine is now at 0.1mcg and our pressures are still tanking.”

Sakura’s eyes widened at the realization. “I need all non-essential people out. Bring me a suture kit NOW!”

Sasuke, two nurses, and the anesthesiologist remained in the room as Sakura re-opened the infant. Unbeknownst to her, Sasuke could not tear his eyes away from the pink-haired woman. When he initially figured out the source of the issue, he wasn’t hating the idea of telling Sakura that she fucked up. However, the real fear and concern in her eyes made him almost physically recoil at the thought of ever having to do that again.

Sakura was quick and concise, closing the little gap in less than 2 minutes. She pulled down her mask and smiled as the baby’s arterial pressures climbed to an appropriate level.

Sasuke realized at this point that he was not looking at the Sakura he remembered. Newly minted as a stranger to Sasuke, the beaming surgeon began collecting bloodied sterile towels and loose plastic packaging. “Let me get cleaned up and we can start rounding on my patients!” 


	3. cutting ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sasuke has some realizations. Things are about to get exponentially more confusing for our two kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!! Thanks for reading.

A grueling 16 hours go by before Sasuke can finish sign out with the nighttime attending. He grabbed his papers from the day and headed for the staff lounge to store them. Sasuke cracked the door and froze in place when he heard sniffles.

“Oh, Ino…it was bad. This baby nearly bled out because I made a mistake on the simplest of repairs. And you know which smug asshole reveled in telling me I fucked up? Sasuke. Because that’s a thing now, and—“

“Sakura, honey, slow down. Start from the beginning,” came the soothing voice on speakerphone.

Sasuke, in fear of getting caught, closed the door with more care and precision than he ever thought himself capable. He knew that he sucked at being a comforting presence. Once out in the hallway, he released a breath he never realized he was holding. His mind raced as he strolled towards the garage. Despite her clear disdain for him, she went out of her way to make certain Sasuke was properly acclimating. For the first time in his adult life, he felt guilty.

He abandoned Konoha in a hurry, figuring he wouldn’t have to pick the pieces up again. A stupid decision on his part, really. But he was blinded by his own determination. Sasuke knew early on that his purpose was to save lives. He couldn’t make time for anything that strayed from his path.

With a weighted exhale, Sasuke stuffed his crinkled papers and black stethoscope into his leather bag. He took a shortcut through the library in hopes of avoiding Sakura. The scent of aged parchment flooded his senses in a welcoming tide. He allowed himself a brief moment to relish in his memories of the Uchiha family library, something he did not get to fully utilize as a young child.

A flash of pink hair caught Sasuke’s eye between the rows of ancient texts and fluorescent lights. He didn’t want to stop. However, his body moved of its own accord. Sasuke mentally kicked himself with each step he took, until he was toe to toe with bright pink running shoes.

_Don’t look up_, Sasuke pleaded to himself. He was aware that he had yet to win that internal battle. And it seemed this moment was not his victory, either.

Immediately upon eye contact, her tenderness transported him back to his shitty med school apartment mattress. Sasuke was swimming in memories of Sakura tracing delicate patterns down his spine. Goosebumps traveled down the back of his neck as he recalled the softness of her voice, whispering sweet nothings as he took her.

Was he truly responsible for destroying the woman in his memories? To think he was capable of ripping this beautiful vulnerability out of someone as pure as Sakura…he wanted to crawl out of his own skin. Sasuke watched her brows furrow as she observed him sink deeper into his mind.

“Sasuke, I— are you okay? You look…ill.”

Sakura reached out cautiously, fingertips grazing Sasuke’s upper arm. He flinched, effectively killing the moment.

“I’m fine. Goodnight, Sakura.”

Sasuke booked it for the exit, afraid of what he’d see if he looked back.

Sakura remained still under the flickering lightbulb. She watched the door slam shut after Sasuke’s hasty exit. Loose ends and unspoken words seemed to be Sasuke’s preferred method of human interaction.

The successful surgeon tucked a dusty, dark green book under her arm and leaned down to pick up her bag. Mistakes were not something she took lightly anymore. Sakura promised herself that she would never make the same mistake twice. In that moment, she decided that applied to both her work life and personal life.

Upon exiting the library, Sakura turned the corner to find Sasuke leaning casually against the wall.

Sakura hoped he could discern her exasperation from afar.

“Did you need me for something?”

The critical care doctor cleared his throat, shoving both hands into his pockets. Sasuke internally cringed at the palpable awkwardness. Did he completely forget how to socialize like a normal human being?

“Earlier today, when I—“

“If you’re going to reiterate how you didn’t mean to sound like a dick when you told me I knicked the pulmonary artery, I don’t want to hear it.”

Sasuke couldn’t control the shock that painted his face.

“Sasuke, you were doing your job. We can’t take these things personally, or we’ll never be an effective team. To think that you spent time worrying about how you offended me is…well, quite frankly, offensive.”

He nodded, feeling foolish. It was time to cut the ties binding her to the Sakura from 4 years ago.

“Sakura…thank you.”

With a curt nod, Sakura breezed past him. She really wanted to be home in time for _Bachelor in Paradise_.

_______________________________

  
Sakura mindlessly thumbed the pages of the hospital library book, a full glass of Malbec adorning her opposite hand. Even though she rushed home to watch trashy reality TV, her mind kept lingering over the close brush with death experienced by the 2 week old. Her fault. That baby was ready to jump into Jesus’ arms because she was so careless.

She switched off the TV, suddenly feeling silly for indulging in her guilty pleasure. She flicked on the lamp beside her and grabbed a pencil. Jade-colored eyes scanned the book’s index until she landed on a chapter to study.

The surgeon scoured the pages as if they held the answers to the universe. Minutes became hours. Her buzzing phone triggered first time Sakura broke away from her studies. Knowing there was likely only one person who would contact her at such an hour, she persisted. Sakura surely didn’t have the energy to deal with a man who had the emotional intelligence of a saltine cracker.

Just as she reached a page about minimizing aortic cross-clamp times, she caught three soft knocks at her front door. Sakura was so ready to lose it on this psycho. She naively thought it would be easy to maintain a professional relationship with Sasuke. But that was 24 hours ago. Grabbing a soft grey cardigan to throw on over her black camisole and shorts, Sakura swung the door open with enough force to take it off its hinges.

Sasuke stood on her porch in black joggers and a t-shirt. Sakura sat back into her heels, waiting for him to say something. Or blink. God, he carried himself like a psychopath.

He broke eye contact, looking off to the side. “I—your lamp light was shining directly in my line of sight as I got into bed. I had a feeling you were still thinking about what happened in your OR this morning.”

Sakura crossed her arms. “We talked about this already. I don’t need your pity.”

“I know you don’t. I just…let me tell you about the time I nearly killed a 3 month old during my last fellowship. Since you’re awake. You don’t have to—“

Her features instantly softened. Sakura stepped out of the doorway, silently inviting him in. He cautiously entered the foyer, waiting for her signal to proceed. Sasuke followed her back to her granite breakfast bar. Diagrams of little hearts scrawled in pencil littered every surface within arm’s reach. He watched intently as she tucked a pink lock of hair behind her ear, gathering the evidence of her night into one pile.

“It was a Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia,” he began, sitting in the stool next to hers. “We held off her first stage of repair until she was 4 kilograms. Almost immediately after returning from the OR, she looked great. Her chest was closed. I had paused the paralytic, thinking that nursing staff watched me do it. They didn’t. The kid started fighting the breathing tube. She bucked the tube out and managed to trash her arterial line. It took me 3 tries to re-intubate and re-line her. She ended up needing CPR for 30 minutes because of my poor decisions.”

Sakura stood to grab another glass, pouring him some of the Malbec she sipped earlier. She would never admit it to him, but the sentiment of his visit tonight was well-received.

He reached out to take the glass, fingers unintentionally brushing against her hand. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow as Sakura tensed. She quickly turned around and sat up on the counter, facing the man in her kitchen.

“That...oddly makes me feel better.”

Feeling bold, he downed his glass of wine and stood up. Sasuke positioned himself between her legs swinging off the edge of the counter. Sakura mindlessly reached up to swipe the stray droplet of wine from his bottom lip.

Sasuke closed his eyes at the sensation, temporarily losing any semblance of control he previously owned. He had…absolutely no idea what she was thinking. And he had absolutely no right to do what he was doing now.

Somehow, he had subconsciously drawn closer to her. Sasuke sat mere inches from her gorgeous pout. His eyes flicked down to her lips. Slowly, he dragged them up her features until he locked onto her eyes.

He was rendered speechless by her beauty, her vulnerability. Everything about her pulled him in. But Sasuke didn’t trust himself. He knew chaos, solitude, detachedness. She was light, joy, grace. Sasuke couldn’t bear to imagine any of Sakura’s light swallowed by darkness. So, for her sake, he stopped. Physical pain perfused his heart.

Sasuke reluctantly pulled himself out of her personal space.

“See you tomorrow, Sakura.”

She remained glued to the countertop, watching as Sasuke closed the door behind him.


End file.
